I'd like to address a big thank you to everyone who's reviewed the story so far. You people are awesome. ^_^ It's a pleasure to write with you people as my readers.

DarkAnonymous; Yes, Neji is sad. But he will get better eventually.

Author's Not: Concerning this chapter, Chapter Six and Seven are probably my favorite so far. Admittedly, I haven't seen what chapters eight to ten will be like. Bu so far I love these two.

Disclaimer: The world of Naruto does not belong to me.

Chapter Six – Accepting the Unacceptable

"Neji-niisan, please. You have to eat." Hinata said softly, her opalescent eyes filled with sorrow and worry. She was kneeling beside Neji in his room, a tray of food balanced on her knees. Her eyes were fixated on her older cousin- or rather what he could see of him. The room she was in was dark. The blinds had been closed across the window, effectively stopping the bright sunlight from streaming in. The only light came through the thin paper panels of the shouji. Neji wanted his door closed at all times. Not even visitors were allowed to make an exception.

The Hyuuga Heiress sighed as her cousin didn't deign to reply. He was lying down on his futon, the sheets tangled around his limp body. She couldn't see his face, as he was slightly turned away, one arm covering his eyes while his sleeve covered the rest of his cheeks. His dark hair was limp and lifeless, spread out over the thin pillows he so preferred. However, Hinata didn't need to see him fully to now what he looked like. The brief glances she'd gotten of him out of bed were enough to alarm her greatly.

It had already been a week after they had been discharged. It had broken Hinata's heart to leave Neji to her father and sister, but she knew Tenten needed just as much help as Neji. Besides, her cousin would have wanted her to take care of his teammate. He always puts others before himself... Hinata sighed to herself as she gazed upon the stubborn mule that was her relative. He needn't have worried, though. Tenten kept thanking her for her caring, but insisted she was alright. The fire I the kunoichi's eyes was reassuring, the Hyuuga had to admit, but she still maintained that she at least stay the night. The older girl had given in finally and allowed her comrade to help her unpack and cook her dinner. Hinata was no psychiatrist, but she could tell her friend was hanging in there. She could tell how sorrowful she was, but she was strong. The young woman seemed to have found the courage to deal with her problems. Her resolve was soothing to the med-nin. It meant that she would be okay, that she would be able to pull through. She still felt somewhat guilty as she left the next morning, but she was not afraid for her friend.

Her cousin was a different story altogether.

Ever since returning from the hospital, her cousin had been impossible to handle. So far he had merely picked at his food a few times she could count on her fingers. He had mostly stayed in his room, on his futon, refusing to speak to anyone. The Hyuuga heiress knew that bottling things up weren't going to help him, but no matter how much she coaxed him, he wouldn't open up. She wished he would scream, yell, shout, anything than the deathly quiet he was. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, he had also barely slept. His normally pale skin had taken a frighteningly white hue and she could swear his robes were looser on him than they usually were.

As she stared down at the tray of food, a tear fell onto the smooth wood, followed swiftly by several more.

"Neji,please." she begged him one last time, to no avail. Refusing to allow herself to cry in front of him, she rose to her feet and deposited the tray on the low table behind her. A servant would remove it later if he hadn't touched it. Hinata was certain it would be untouched. With one last worried, despairing glance at her cousin, the Hyuuga heiress turned and pulled the shouji closed quietly behind her.

Neji lay still on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Another two days had passed and, finally, his relatives had begun to grant him what he wanted: peace. Hinata had been particularly annoying, coming in to see him thrice a day and pleading with him to eat, to sleep, to say something. With a sigh, he raised his arm to rest over his eyes, shutting out the world around him.

He didn't deserve their efforts, their worry, their kindness.

Deep down, he knew that he deserved everything he was giving himself. He wasn't worth those who loved them. He had let them all down, everyone who had depended and believed in him. He had failed Gai-sensei and the Hokage by not protecting his team. He had failed Konoha by losing one of her best shinobi. He had failed Tenten by destroying their team. And more importantly, he had failed Lee.

Lee...

He had been unable to protect his comrade, to help him. He knew it was his fault that Lee had died, simply because he had not been there to assist him. He had left him alone with his foes to fight, not even concerned enough to check on his progress with the Byakugan! If he had not been so distracted, he would have seen lee needed help.

Even if I hadn't looked, I still took my bloody time... he scolded himself mercilessly, the fabric of his sleeve soaking up the tears that gathered in his eyes. His jaws clenched tightly, fighting the urge to grimace. If I had hurried and ended the fight sooner, I cold have gotten to him and helped him... And even if I'd been a little late, we could have saved his life! Why didn't I hurry? Why? His thoughts continued to loop around and around in circles, only helping to raise his frustration and misery.

His train of thought was briefly interrupted when he heard the shouji doors opening. At first, he dismissed the visitor as another one of his pesky relatives, before he realized that the person was making no effort whatsoever to not disturb him. Her footsteps – for they were too light to be male – resounded clearly against the hardwood of his floor as she padded purposefully towards him. As she neared his bedside, a foot nudged him in the ribs, hard enoug to jolt him without hurting hi.

"Get up, Neji." he heard Tenten's voice ringing loudly in his ears. Her resolute voice was the loudest sound he'd heard in over a week. Again, she nudged him with her foot, ore impatiently this time. So shocked was he at the intrusion that he removed his arm from his face, blinking up at her with wide, lavender eyes.

Tenten looked thinner and paler than he remembered her, but she hadn't otherwise changed. Her hair was still tied up in her signature buns, her arms were crossed across her chest and her expression was one of worry and irritation. Again, she nudged him before stooping to haul the covers off his body. He was left lying down on the thin mattress in only his sleeping kimono, shivering at the sudden change in temperature. Somehow, he felt vulnerable now that the thin coverlet had been pulled back and he had absolutely no barrier between himself and the irate kunoichi.

"Up!" she demanded again in a commanding voice. Neji mumbled something incoherent and slowly got to his feet, looking anywhere but into her chocolate eyes. The only reason he was obeying her command was because he knew she would drag him wherever she wanted him to go if he didn't.

Tenten waited impatiently as he straightened, tapping her fingers against her elbow. In truth, she wasn't as angry as she was letting on. Of course she was furious that the Hyuuga had let himself go like he had, but she was mostly concerned for her partner. Those little words he had whispered at lee's funeral haunted her still, depriving her of sleep.

"It was my fault..."

Knowing Neji as she did, she gave him the time he needed to rise from his bed. She had to balance out her act; three parts fury, one part worry. If she was ore sympathetic, she knew he would blank her like he had his family. Right now, the only thing giving her control over him was his surprise.

"You are going to dress in proper clothes and we are going outside. Is that clear?" she asked him in an authoritative voice. The Hyuuga mumbled something, looking at the ground. "I didn't hear that." He mumbled slightly louder and Tenten sighed at the heartbroken look in his eyes. "Let me take care of it." she said, going to his closet and pulling out a set of clothes. Deftly, she pulled the shouji door closed and began to remove his robes. Usually, she would have blushed beetroot at that; they both would have. As neither of them found it funny, however, sh undressed and dressed him again in silence. After she pulled his last robe off, Neji had stopped her gently and redressed on his own, earning himself a soft smile.

It was a baby-step, but it was progress, Tenten reasoned.

To the shock of his family, Tenten marched Neji out of his room, down the corridor and out into the compound's streets. Most of the clan stopped and looked at them briefly, before moving on. It had been no secret that the young shinobi had been wasting away in his room. Neji didn't see to notice the reactions they were producing as Tenten led him towards one of the training areas at the very back, where they would have some privacy. He had a completely blank expression on his face and seemed to be barely conscious of the guiding hand at his elbow. Still, he looked better with a little fresh air.

Tenten finally sat him down at a bench in a secluded target range. For a while, they sat together, neither saying a word. Neji stared up at the birds in the sky while Tenten stared at him, studying his face. Yes, he did look better, she decided, glad to have made the right call.

After a while, she exhaled and also looked up at the sky. "You know, what happened wasn't your fault." she said, having already opted to not bother with any preamble. Neji flinched at his words, the first real sign of emotion she'd seen on his face other than shock after the funeral. Though she hated to see him in pain, that small flicker of emotion soothed her to some extent. He was still human. He could still be saved.

When he still hadn't said a word after a few minutes, she sighed and patted his arm. "No one's blaming you other than yourself, Neji." Still no response. The kunoichi sighed and took off the small backpack she had slung over her shoulders, untying a bento box. Unceremoniously, she took out a riceball and, holding Neji's hand by the wrist, placed it firmly in his grasp.

"Eat."

Tenten wasn't sure if it was the fresh air, the sunshine or their 'talk' that did it, but Neji slowly brought the food to his mouth and took a small bite. A small part of Tenten's heart seemed to settle in place as he fiished the riceball, his hands intertwining on is lap. Pehaps now, she prayed, he'd start getting better. She didn't press him to eat any more and he made no move to take another onigiri from the box between them. The rest of their stay was quiet and peaceful, the two enveloped in a companionable silence. When the sun began to set, Neji stood and walked away from her, heading back towards the Main House. Tenten didn't stop him or go after him, but watched him as he walked. "I'll be here if you need to talk." she whispered after him, packing up the reainder of her food and also leaving.

Over the next few days, Tenten continued visiting and, in her own words,manhandling her teammate. It seemed to be having a positive effect on him, as he ate more when they were together and once he even thanked Hinata for bringing him a flower arrangement she had worked on solely for him. Those baby-steps, as Sakura had put them, were encouraging.

Still, Tenten could see plainly that Neji was getting worse. Even though he might be picking a little more at his food, he was still losing weight he didn't have to lose and, she was certain, was still not sleeping. She had started to notice that his hands trembled slightly with weakness as he sipped some tea or nibbled on a carrot stick as they sat together. The dark circles under his eyes gew more and more prominent as he steadily grew paler. Tenten and hinata were both worried his body would give in before his mind could begin to heal. His teammate was convinced the shinobi still blamed himself. Sometimes she caught him staring off into the distance, a hurt and defeated expression in his eyes.

Now with his walls down, Tenten could see for the first time how vulnerable Neji could become. She didn't like it. 'Vulnerable' and 'Neji' didn't go together in the same sentence. Even so, there was only so much she could do. She couldn't force him to get better or to overcome his guilt. He was the one who would have to open up.

Still, when Tenten left the Hyuuga compound one night, after Neji had thanked her for her effort and walked away, she was hopeful that he would manage to pull himself together.

Thank you to everyone who's read this fic so far! I'd like you to know how much your appreciation means, whether written or felt. (Hint). As for the ongoing contest (see chapter four), here's a hint:

"If you search the fanfiction, you will find Neji's full name hidden somewhere."

Please look forward to the next chapter, 'Neglect'. Title may change.

To make up for this week's late update, I will update again within the weekend. The seventh chapter is actually already written, so you won't have to wait long!